Index

Cause of Baby's Red Cheek and Suggestion

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Milia:

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Milia are pearly white bumps on a baby's nose, chin or cheeks. These complexion problems are known as milia and baby acne. They're not pretty, but they're common - and temporary. Sometimes milia affect a baby's gums or roof of the mouth as well. Baby acne is more pronounced. You may notice small red or white bumps on your baby's forehead or cheeks. Many babies are born with milia. Simply wash your baby's face with water and look forward to the clearer days ahead.

Atopic dermatitis and eczema:

Atopic dermatitis is quite often seen on the cheeks of infants (rash on the cheeks that often begins at 2 to 6 months of age).It consists of red (erythematous), scaling plaques that are diffusely scattered over the infant's body and small bumps on their cheeks, forehead, or scalp. The rash may spread to the extremities (the arms and legs) and the trunk, and red, crusted, or open lesions may appear on any area affected.

Eczema in children under 2 years old generally begins on the cheeks, elbows, or knees. The most common cause of eczema is atopic dermatitis. Children often try to relieve the itching by rubbing the affected areas. This is why eczema is often called the "itch that rashes" rather than the "rash that itches."

Avoid rubbing or scratching the rash. Use moisturizers several times daily. In infants, with atopic dermatitis, moisturizing on a regular basis (with each diaper change for example) is extremely helpful.

Fifth disease, Scarlet fever, Rubella, Roseola and measles:

Children with fifth disease/ Slapped cheek (a disease caused by parvovirus B19) can get a rash on their body. They may have red cheeks that look like they've been slapped. Parvovirus B19 is also thought to cause other diseases, including an infectious form of arthritis. Adults who get fifth disease don't usually have the "slapped cheek" rash. They may have sore joints. Fifth disease doesn't cause birth defects, but it can cause anemia (low blood count) in your baby. Many people with fifth disease show no symptoms at all. Therefore, the only way to definitively diagnose it is to have a test.

Slapped cheek disease or fifth disease is the fifth most common red rash childhood illness. The others are Scarlet fever, Rubella, Roseola and measles.

Scarlet fever is caused by the same bacteria that causes tonsillitis and is very similar, except your child will develop a rash as well as a sore throat. Consult your doctor right away if you notice your child has any of the symptoms of scarlet fever.

Rubella is a mildly infectious illness caused by a virus, and although infectious, it is not as infectious as other childhood illnesses such as chickenpox or measles. The virus is passed through droplets in the air through coughs and sneezes. Like many childhood viruses there is no treatment for Rubella and it is best to let the virus run its course.

Measles is a childhood illness that is now much less common since the introduction of the MMR vaccination (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella) usually given to toddlers who are between 12-15 months old. Talk to your doctor right away if your child has not had the MMR immunization.

Good idea is to keep your child at home during the rash because the illness is contagious. The rash usually lasts 5 to 7 days but it is possible that it can last up to 3 weeks. While the rash can last for months, it usually disappears in a week to ten days. It may reappear if your baby is very warm — from a fever or on a hot day — or if he becomes very upset. If you are pregnant make every effort to keep your home germ free. Since the illness is a virus it can be easily passed from one person to another. Caution is important in this condition. In parvovirus B19 infection, fetal anemia resulting from bone marrow suppression is the apparent cause of non immune fetal hydrops, and intrauterine transfusion has been reported to save the fetus.

Roseola:

Roseola is a generally mild infection that usually affects children between 6 months and 3 years of age, though it occasionally affects adults. Their cheeks glow red for no apparent reason, the condition comes and goes and can worsen over time. It's extremely common — so common, in fact, that most children have been infected by roseola by the time they enter kindergarten.

Roseola in adult is also common. The infection can occur at any time of the year. Rosacea is also usually seen in people who have incurred considerable sun damage. The initial signs include easy flushing with inciting factors such as emotional stress, temperature changes, spicy foods, but more commonly from food that are served too hot in temperature and caffeinated and alcoholic beverages. The erythema subsequently becomes persistent over the central face, spreading laterally to the ears, and rarely to the chest and back. Some patients will develop telangiectasia and erythematous papules, occasionally pustules, scattered over the nose, cheeks, and forehead.

Overproduction of two inflammatory proteins results in excessive levels of a third protein that leads to rosacea symptoms, a research team reported in Sunday's online edition of the journal Nature Medicine.

Roseola typically isn't serious. It is almost like acne. Treatment of roseola includes bed rest, fluids and medications to reduce fever.

Tinea:

Tinea infections are commonly called ringworm because some infections form a ring-like pattern on affected areas of the body. In children and most women, facial ringworm can appear on any part of the face. Facial ringworm is almost always itchy, and it may become itchier or feel like a burn after exposure to the sun. The most common locations for facial ringworm include: cheeks, nose, around the eye, chin, and forehead.

Rash & Erythema toxicum:

A rash is any skin bumps or blotches. The rash can be red, skin-colored, or slightly lighter or darker than skin color. By far the most common skin problem in infants is diaper rash. Diaper rash is an irritation of the skin caused by dampness, urine, and feces. However, there are other skin disorders that can cause rash. Erythema toxicum can cause flat red splotches (usually with a white, pimple-like bump in the middle) that appear in up to half of all babies. These blotches rarely appear after 5 days of age, are usually gone in 7 - 14 days, and are nothing to worry about.

Teething:

The common signs are that the baby dribbles more, shows sign of swollen or sore gums, pain or discomfort in the mouth, has red cheeks and wants to chew on everything. By 12 months babies usually have 4 to 8 teeth and by 18 months 12 teeth and by 3 years all 20 baby teeth will generally be in place.

Teething typically begins at the age of 6 months. It is worth remembering that teething symptoms can also include diarrhea (sometimes green), nappy rash or worsening of eczema with one red cheek or a red patch, fever, cough, ear infections or tonsillitis. You may find your baby with hot, red cheeks with screaming, restless sleep. Babies may bite their fists. Baby is angry, changeable, doesn't know what he wants. It is a good idea to prepare your baby by practicing brushing using a washcloth and gauze to gently wipe your baby’s gums.

Starting solid food:

When your baby starts solids, the combination of baby food and diaper rash can go hand in hand, as a result of food allergies. The allergic reaction you may look for (and hopefully not getting!) is red cheeks, irritability, runny nose, colic, constipation or diarrhea, gas, insomnia or other skin reactions.

Start by introducing a new food to your baby by applying a little bit of the food to her cheek, and wait 20 minutes. If there is no reaction, give 1 teaspoon of the new food and wait four hours.

Sun burn:

Your baby's skin is so sensitive they can and do get burned in the shade during the first 6 months of life. Often a new baby will have red cheeks from the heater or even from very minimum sun exposure. If they are acting fine in every other way expect for red cheeks and dry skin, it is most likely nothing to worry about. Limit direct sun if your babies get such. Protect and sooth on little red cheeks exposed to windy conditions.

Acne:

Newborn acne (also called; sebaceous hyperplasia or neonatal acne) is a rash that looks very much like acne. It appears as small red bumps on the cheeks, chin, forehead, nose and upper lip. It is thought to be caused by hormones and appears 2 to 4 weeks after birth. It typically goes away on its own within a few months without treatment. This is usually seen within the first couple of weeks and then begins to disappear over the next three or four months. It can take longer to disappear in breastfed babies.

Keratosis pilaris:

Keratosis pilaris is a very common condition in which there are numerous rough follicular spots, which may be skin colored, red or brown. Most often they arise on the outer aspect of the upper arms. They may also occur on the thighs and cheeks, and less often on the forearms and upper back.

Keratosis pilaris is most obvious during the teenage years. It may also be present in babies and persist into adult life. Non-soap cleansers, moisturizing cream applied twice daily; try those containing urea, salicylic acid or alphahydroxy acids may help.